Sydney West enjoys sampling summer boys, but this year, one refuses to be a one-night stand…

Twenty-one-year-old Sydney doesn’t believe in relationships. Her parents’ toxic divorce has taught her love is nothing but a sinister fairy tale. So every summer she parties, hooks up, abandons her lover before dawn, and repeats.

That is until she meets gorgeous local surfer Jason King at the beach…

When Jason fails to flirt—or even give her a second glance—she decides something must be wrong with him, and it’s safer to stay away. But when Sydney and Jason’s best friends hook up and become Malibu’s hottest couple, they are forced to spend more time together than either of them cares for.

Armed with a sharp tongue, Sydney works to keep Jason at bay…

In a moment of weakness, Sydney lets her guard down and confides in Jason, realizing he’s more than just a hot guy—he’s also a friend. And when Sydney’s need for a summer boy results in her falling into bed with Jason, despite her better judgment, she runs away from him by morning.

The problem is, he won’t accept being another one-night stand, and will do anything to prove…

Sydney West’s new relationship might have survived Malibu, but her transformation from party girl to girlfriend isn’t complete…

Sydney is back in Arizona, and with the fall semester at her doorstep, doubts about her so-called summer love start to plague her. A bad girl can only stay good for so long. Jason King changed her and made her wonder if love was real. But now, far from his charm, and with the party scene on campus in full swing, the magic is fading…

Jason isn’t willing to let distance drive a wedge between them…

A surprise reunion and a romantic cabin getaway is enough to reignite their summertime spark, but Sydney isn’t convinced this whole monogamous, meet-your-parents thing Jason wants is possible. No boy has ever met her mother. Then, when a sudden family tragedy strikes, it sends her spiraling into her old habits of booze and boys.

Sydney can only hide from her past for so long…

In the fog of drowning her sorrows, Sydney realizes her former party lifestyle won’t make her happy. Her one-night stands ended with Jason. As much as she wants to believe in that far-fetched fairy tale ending, she’s afraid if Jason finds out about all her summer boys, he will abandon her just like her father did.

Jason refuses to settle for the superficial shell Sydney keeps between them, though, and is determined to…

Sydney West is no longer a party girl looking for summer boys to occupy her nights. She has found love with Jason King and agreed to marry him. With wedding plans in full swing for the July deadline, everything seems to be perfect.

Until someone from Jason’s past interrupts their summer getaway…

When Jason turns cold and distant, the party scene beckons Sydney to return to her old drink-all-night ways. Only this time the guys at the bar don’t hold her attention, but when Sydney's drink is drugged by a so-called friend—she kisses one of them. When Jason finds out, he leaves the beach house to clear his head, but a couple hours quickly turn into days.

It’s hard to have a wedding without the groom…

This summer is nothing like what Sydney had planned, and for the first time she's afraid of the future. Sydney finally figured out what she wants and she isn’t willing to let Jason go without a fight. But is it already too late? Sydney will risk everything to…

We went for a
hike in the woods. Amelia and Hunter were pros, putting a few yards between
them and Jason and me. I didn’t mind. Amelia was like a drill sergeant. There
was no need for that when you were trying to enjoy nature’s beauty.

“Come here,”
Jason whispered into the shell of my ear. Before I could answer, he was pulling
me off the trail.

“You know the
trail is here for a reason. If we get lost, it’s on you.”

His teeth tugged
on my earlobe. He said, “Will you stop? We’re not going far.”

The wind blew
lightly through the trees and birds were singing. Internal flames ate away at
my body. I gave into Jason and let him take me to the unknown.

He stopped in
front of a fat pine tree. I gave him a curious look as he circled its trunk and
brushed his hand along its bark.

“Should I leave
the two of you alone?” I joked.

Jason smirked at
me before pulling out a pocket knife. I felt my face go from being curious to
alarmed.

“Wh—?”

“Watch.” Jason
dug the blade into the bark, carving into the tree.

I stood at his
side as he chipped away. After a few minutes, I could make out a heart shape.
He then put our initials into the center of the heart.

“There,” he
said, standing back to admire his handiwork. “Now we’ll forever live here.”

Something inside
me pulled me toward the tree. It was like I had to run my fingers down the new
carving to make sure it was real.

The tree would
forever bear our initials, through the test of time. I stared at the “JK + SW”
within the heart.

“I can honestly
say no boy has ever done this for me.”

Jason smiled, putting away his knife.
“No? Good to know I’m ahead of the game.”

Brittney Coon graduated Magna Cum Laude from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Communication and a minor in Film and Media Production. Brittney has always been creative and turned to writing to share the stories playing through her head. In her spare time she reads, watches Friends, and hangs out with her cats. She currently lives in Arizona.

Whether your poison is a naughty husband and wife, a kinky night out on the town, edging toward the pinnacle of pain and pleasure, or something a little more supernatural, come indulge in your deepest, darkest, most f*cked up cravings.